Cedar Crest College Launches New Master's of Art in Art Therapy Program

Building on an already successful art therapy undergraduate major, Cedar Crest College has announced that it is launching a Master’s of Art program in the field of Art Therapy.   It will be the only college in the eastern Pennsylvania region to offer a studio-based program that is designed to meet the educational standards of the American Art Therapy Association.

Art therapy has been identified as a growing field by The Bureau of Labor and Statistics which has projected a 15 percent increase in the number of art therapists from 2008-2018 in accordance with demand. Professional art therapists work in a variety of settings including, but not limited to, hospitals and clinics (medical and psychiatric); out-patient mental health agencies and day treatment facilities; residential treatment centers; domestic violence and homeless shelters; community agencies and non-profit settings; sheltered workshops; correctional facilities; elder care facilities; art studios; private practice; and schools, colleges, and universities.

Part of the college’s School of Adult and Graduate Education (SAGE), classes in the new art therapy Master’s program are open to both female and male students and will begin with the fall 2013 semester.  The program will have a new state-of-the-art studio classroom that will provide students with a specialized work space in which an array of art materials can be experienced and therapeutic art processes can be explored. 

The 63-credit Master’s in Art Therapy Program provides students with a minimum of 800 hours of practical, hands-on field experience with site placements that provide varied opportunities for students to observe and practice art therapy techniques.  While under the supervision of a credentialed art therapist, students will refine their clinical skills while working with individuals, groups and families in an array of therapeutic settings.

Core art therapy classes include topics such as art therapy history and theory, professional ethics, artistic development across the lifespan, cultural perspectives, and the studio as a therapeutic environment.  Courses are designed to meet the scheduling demands of adult students and will be offered as accelerated, hybrid, evening, and weekend formats. 

Cedar Crest will also offer BA/MA and post-graduate degree options.  The BA/MA will allow students who attend Cedar Crest for their undergraduate art therapy degree an opportunity to apply for the Master’s program during their junior year, and, if accepted, these students can begin taking graduate-level courses during their senior year.  The post-graduate degree will allow professionals with related master’s degrees including expressive or creative arts therapies, counseling, social work, psychology, psychiatric nursing, and other mental health professions an opportunity to expand their services using art therapy theory and practice. 

Located in Allentown, Pa., Cedar Crest College was selected as a “Top Regional College” and “Best Value” in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges rankings for 2012 and 2013. The liberal arts college is committed to the education of women leaders in an increasingly global society. Founded in 1867, Cedar Crest currently enrolls approximately 1,900 students—full-time, part-time and graduate—in more than 30 fields of study.

Cedar Crest also provides opportunities for non-traditional and graduate students through its co-educational School of Adult and Graduate Education (SAGE).

More information on the Master’s of Art in Art Therapy program can be found at: http://sage.cedarcrest.edu/graduate/master-of-arts-in-art-therapy/.